The Monk and the Plum Blossom
by RedThreadOfFate
Summary: A halo of white plum blossoms circled her head. She was as sweet as the nectar of a plum and as beautiful as the blossom of one.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One 

"You two sure took long enough," InuYasha said to Sango and Kagome. "Excuse me!" said Kagome. "It's not our fault that _we _had to clean _your _clothes." "Gosh, InuYasha. Could you try to control yourself when you're around mud," Sango said. Kagome shook her head. "This spot's not really giving off any sign of the Shikon No Tama," she said, "but I do sense a demonic aura."

"But Kagome, can't we eat before we fight this demon?" whined Shippo. "I've been wondering what you brought around in your bag the entire time." "Of course, Shippo," beamed Kagome. "To fight demons we all need our energy. What do ya say, guys?" She unzipped her backpack and emptied out the contents. To her surprise she pulled out sweets: candy fluff, licorice rope, lollipops and gumdrops. "Oh no," said Kagome. "I must've mixed up the bento boxes I made with Sota's class party candy!" "Kagome, I'm not eating that," said Sango. Shippo dived right in followed by InuYasha, then Kagome and then Miroku. "Sango, come try this," said Shippo.

"Yeah," said Kagome. "Bonsai," she screamed. InuYasha and the others joined in too. "Bonsai," they cheered louder and louder. With disgust Sango picked up a piece of the cotton candy. "Here goes," she gulped. "Here's to trying new things!" She stuffed her face with the pink candy fluff until one piece was left. She, InuYasha and Shippo all glared at each other. They all made a grab for it, InuYasha hitting the other two, leaving Shippo crying. "InuYasha, how could you be so cruel. In my time, hitting a girl is one of the lowest things you could do and beating up on a little kid like that is called child abuse," cried Kagome. "Well," said InuYasha. "For starters we're in feudal Japan. Anything goes. Second, do you think I really care? We've got a demon to fight." Kagome shoved the rest of her stuff back into her knapsack and chased after InuYasha. The demon was a big, red and ugly dragon. "Kagome, shoot a sacred arrow at it," InuYasha told her. She obeyed and shot. A puff of dust rose and the dragon disappeared. Two lizard demons were sitting on the ground. "They're getting away, Kagome," cried Shippo. He chased after the lizards followed by his friends until he came to a fork in the road. "Which way did they go?" he asked. He stood there until Kirara ran to the right chasing after a butterfly. They followed her but there were no traces of demons at all. They had turned the wrong way. Or had they?

That was the first chapter of my second fan fiction and I hope you enjoyed. I don't own InuYasha and that's kind of obvious. Some of the dialogue is not mine and is from other stories. The first chapter was short, and I'm sorry except that this was the perfect place to cut it off. Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think in a review. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two 

Miroku looked up at the pink plum blossoms on the trees and the house sitting on the hill. _This place feels very familiar, _he thought. He gazed up at the old lady sipping tea in the front of the house, playing mahjong with an old man who was accompanied by his mynah bird in a cage. He recognized her face but couldn't remember her name. "Auntie Tai," the man said to the old woman. "I do hope that young man keeps his promise and returns to your daughter, Autumn Chrysanthemum." The old woman shook her head. "It's been far too long—five years." "Are you okay, Miroku?" asked Shippo. "You look like you just saw a ghost." "I did see a ghost," Miroku replied. "A ghost of my past." "I don't feel like we're on the right track," said Kagome. "Can we go up and ask those old people for directions?" "Ah—I don't think that's a really good—" "What a great idea, Kagome," interrupted Sango. The two girls and Kirara ran up the dirt path that led up to the house on the hill followed by the three guys. The old lady looked up from her mahjong tiles. She had never seen so many visitors at once. She scanned the faces of all of them. "Miroku," the old lady said harshly. "You two know each other or somethin'?" asked InuYasha. "Yes," replied the old lady. "He once worked for me. Stealing all of my magic secrets, giving my daughter a daughter instead of a son. And then running off on her and promising he would return." "Autumn Chrysanthemum," the old woman called, "get outside you foolish girl." A young woman in an orange kimono stepped out of the house. "Yes, MaMa," she replied obediently. "Oh, it's you Miroku! MaMa, can I make him some tea and sesame cakes? I've missed you all these years. I thought you would never return." She ran back inside of the house and quickly came out with tea and sesame cakes for everyone. "If you'd just excuse us for a second," said Sango as she dragged Miroku by the ear and pulled Autumn Chrysanthemum by the wrist. She paced around the plum tree questioning the two. "I had just started working for Chrysanthemum's mother who was a witch doctor from China," Miroku explained. "Chrysanthemum was very beautiful. There is always that time in a man's life where it's love at first sight. Not with you, I'm sorry to say, but with Chrysanthemum. We were deeply passionate about each other. We soon both found out that Chrysanthemum was about to have a baby. A few months later she gave birth to a girl. Her mother was unhappy with the fact that she had a granddaughter instead of a grandson. She said that since I had cursed her daughter with a useless girl that she would curse me with a wind tunnel in my right hand." "Even after the wind tunnel we were still strangely affectionate for each other," added Autumn Chrysanthemum. "But my mother was very unhappy with me and burned all my silk kimonos. Because of my mother, Miroku left but vowed to return so we could get married. That was five years ago." Chrysanthemum started walking back towards the house. "What kind of man turns his back on his own child," demanded Sango, "Admit it—you were just immature." "To tell you the truth, I didn't exactly think I'd be seeing Autumn Chrysanthemum or Plum Blossom again," said Miroku. "I believed I was headed for greener pastures." "Plum Blossom," said Sango. "So that's what her name is. Well, it's either Autumn Chrysanthemum or me. Take your pick. Sleep on it, because until then, our paths that have crossed have become two separate lines."

_Chapter two. I've started working on the third chapter. In the third chapter I'll make little Meanwhile sections to show what's happening to Sango. I'm giving no hints._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

Sango ran off towards the village without looking back. "I chose you, Sango," Miroku said mentally. "If I hadn't of chosen you I would've still been with Chrysanthemum." When Autumn Chrysanthemum walked out of the house, she was holding the hand of a little girl. "Plum Blossom, I'd like to introduce you to someone," Chrysanthemum said.

"Who is it?" the little girl asked. A halo of white plum blossoms circled her head. She was as sweet as the nectar of a plum and as beautiful as the blossom of one. She wore a chain of plum blossoms around her neck too. "Tell me, who is it?" she asked again, wiggling her freckled nose. "It's your BaBa, Plum Blossom," said Chrysanthemum.

"Oh," said Plum Blossom. "Come and see the little chicks, BaBa. They have just hatched." The little girl grabbed Miroku by the hand and ran to the other side of the yard. She showed him ten yellow chicks and a black one. "Grandma says that we can eat all but the black one." "How come?" asked Miroku. "Because it's male," Plum Blossom explained. "MaMa," she shouted. "I like that man. Can that man be my BaBa?" Chrysanthemum smiled. "Where did your friend go?" she asked Miroku. "I'm not sure," he lied. He walked over to InuYasha and Kagome, followed by Plum Blossom. "Hey, Miroku, looks like you've got a tail," teased InuYasha. "InuYasha, sit!" said Kagome. "What was that for?" asked InuYasha. "I'm not really sure," Kagome replied. "Plum Blossom, time for bed," called Autumn Chrysanthemum. When Plum Blossom had gone to bed Miroku walked over to Autumn Chrysanthemum. "There's something I need to tell you," he said. "Yes, what is it?" said Chrysanthemum. "That girl wasn't just my friend. Chrysanthemum, I promised that girl I would marry her too. She left and told me to chose between you and her. I chose her," Miroku said. "I completely understand," said Autumn Chrysanthemum disappointedly. "That's where you got me wrong. I'm sorry to say this, Chrysanthemum, but I regret meeting you. I finally understand what the poets have written. In spring, moved to passion; in autumn, only regret." Chrysanthemum sobbed. "I'm so sorry," she said.

Meanwhile:

"_There's no way Miroku and I can compare to Miroku and Autumn Chrysanthemum," Sango said. "They truly are a real-life Liniang and Mengmei. I should've never come between them. Even after five years apart she still loves him."_

_Chapter three. There was one line from the Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu. I also mentioned its two main characters Mengmei (meaning death of plum) and Liniang. It's a Chinese opera from the year 1598. I've used lines out of this (example: "I finally understand what the poets have written. In spring, moved to passion; in autumn, only regret.) opera because certain ideas in my fan fiction revolve around these lines._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four 

"BaBa, I haven't been outside that much. Does it really only snow in winter?" asked Plum Blossom. "Maybe if you stop playing with your pickles and start eating your rice your BaBa will tell you," said Autumn Chrysanthemum. "Plum Blossom knows not to ask such a foolish question," said Tai. Plum Blossom picked up her chopsticks and started eating her rice. "Actually, Plum Blossom," Miroku said. "It snows in every season." "Don't feed her such nonsense," Tai said. "You'll only make her more useless than she already is." "But it's true," said Miroku. "In the spring it snows plum blossoms and in the summer it snows the beautiful summer wisteria. In the autumn it snows beautiful golden leaves and in the winter it snows snow." Plum Blossom giggled. "You said my name," she said. _What I said is true or will be true unless Sango comes back,_ thought Miroku. "You know what. I'm going into the village. To find Sango." Miroku said.

Meanwhile:

"I'm thinking like Kagome now," said Sango. "And I don't like it when people mention Kagome," said Kikyo. "K-Kikyo," Sango stammered. "What are you doing here?" "I'm basically like an uprooted bell flower. I go wherever the wind takes me. And it took me here. To kill you."

Kikyo grabbed her bow and took aim at Sango's chest but she missed and the arrow pierced through her forehead. Surprisingly the arrow didn't shatter her into a million pieces like Kagome's did to demons. Kikyo took aim again and got a bullseye—pinning Sango to another Tree of Ages.

That chapter was way too short—but hey! I'm running out of ideas but so this one was kind of short but I'll try to make the other one longer.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five 

"BaBa, come with me I have something to show you," Plum Blossom urged towards the heart of the village. She ran quickly followed by Miroku. "This is a tree of ages," the little girl said. "My MaMa carved these a year after you left." She pointed at the carvings in the tree. Carved into the bark were the names Miroku, Autumn Chrysanthemum and Plum Blossom, the character for family and a drawing of a blossom, but Miroku's eyes laid not on the carvings in the tree but the woman pinned against it. There laid Sango motionless and breathless in a deep slumber almost hidden by the acorns and leaves that the squirrels piled on top of her. _What have I done,_ thought Miroku. He ran as fast as he could back to the others leaving Plum Blossom behind. "Well aren't you going to say something about the carvings already," she called, but he didn't hear her. "InuYasha, InuYasha, InuYasha! Kagome, Kagome, Kagome! Shippo, Shippo, Shippo," he screamed, nearly out of breath. "Miroku, Miroku, Miroku! Do, do, do you, you ,you have, have, have to, to, to say, say, say everything, everything, everything three, three, three times, times, times," demanded InuYasha. InuYasha, Shippo and Kagome could tell by the look on their friend's face that this was not something stupid and petty.

"I-I saw Sango today," Miroku shyly confessed.

"Big deal," said InuYasha. "Up until now you see her every day."

"No you don't understand, InuYasha," Miroku said. "I think she's dead."

InuYasha laughed. "I think you're just seeing things," he said. "Just go to the teahouse and chill out. Relax. You seem to be the only one who's not doing that."

"InuYasha, sit!" shrieked Kagome. "Miroku, do you think you could show us where you saw Sango?"

At the tree of ages Sango was covered in even more leaves and acorns than before. It looked like a dead body resting in a pile of green spring leaves and young green acorns. Kagome brushed the leaves off with her hand. She put her ear up to Sango's chest but she heard no beat. "I think you're right, Miroku," Kagome said. "Should I go get Tai and Autumn?"

Miroku nodded but didn't say anything. He rested Sango's head on his lap. How could this have happened? The one woman he ever cared about dead? Kagome returned with Tai and Autumn Chrysanthemum. Tai sprinkled a circle of salt around where Sango lay. "MaMa, why are you sprinkling the salt?" Asked Autumn Chrysanthemum. "There is no need for purification; she's pinned to a tree of ages." The sound of a woman's giggling came from the other side of the tree. Kikyo walked out. "That's why," Tai explained. "It just wasn't meant to be. She just didn't want to hurt you. She gave you the signs. When you touched her she would slap you. You two never even had a first kiss," said Kikyo. "Oh yeah… well how's this?" Miroku put his lips to Sango's and after a long passionate kiss Kikyo said, "Do you know why she died? She died for you. So that you could be happy with your former lover and your daughter. Those were the things she wanted for you but couldn't give to you. You can't have her." "My whole life I've been told things that I couldn't do. I've been told that I can't live much longer unless I defeat Naraku and free me and my future generations of my curse. I've been told that I can't suck up anything poisonous into my hand. But now I'm going to tell you something that you can't do: keep me away from the woman that I love." A single tear rolled down Kikyo's cheek. She hid her face in the sleeves of her kimono. Sango's face flooded with tears too. "Look," said Kagome. "I-I think Sango's alive again."

"I think we should go back to the house, then," said InuYasha.

He picked up Sango and carried her because she didn't have the strength to walk. Then he laid her on the tatami floor of Tai's house. Everyone watched her lay there in her bloody pink kimono with bloody tears coming out of her eyes. "Miroku, I don't think your friend has much longer to live," stated witch doctor Tai.

After that Sango said her last words, "If only my tears of blood could dye red the blossoms of the plum tree. But I will never make it to spring. My heart is empty and my life has no value anymore. Each moment a thousand tears." The blood quickly rushed from her face leaving it pretty but pale. Her thick eyelashes against her skin looked like coal against snow.

"What more can I say. I tried my best." Said Miroku. "Love is of source unknown, yet it grows deeper. The living may die of it, by its power the dead live again. Love is not love at its fullest if the one who lives is unwilling to die for it or if it cannot restore life to one who has died."

"BaBa, come and see what MaMa and I worked on," said Plum Blossom. She led Miroku to the tree of ages once again and pointed to a three-character poem titled "Loss". Plum Blossom smiled. "Does it make you feel better, BaBa?" she asked.

"Yes," Miroku lied. But in his mind he knew that one could not describe loss. One had to feel it.

He plucked a plum blossom from off a tree and placed the delicate flower on Sango's grave underneath the tree of ages. The plum tree and the tree of ages canopied over the two creating an almost secret grove of the colours pink and green. The delicate flower wafted up to the heavens to Miroku's delicate flower, Sango.


End file.
